Anyone tried the new Pro 4's? Can you compare them to Conti 4000S's, or any other tire that has been around for a while?
Seems like Michelin is reusing old claims about pointy profile technology for lower rolling resistance and better cornering?

They sure are very specific with their numbers about how "fast" the tire goes.

"It is the range’s fastest tyre and allows cyclists to cover four additional metres per minute for the same input compared with the MICHELIN PRO4 Service Course. Acceleration of 250 watts over a period of 60 seconds enables the tyre to cover 544 metres and reach 38.4kph."

Seem's like any other tire, pretty much. 150tpi casing, 165-220 grams, etc etc etc. It's all just in marketing to make it seem faster.

Ive tried quite a few tire, but i always keep going back to the conti 4000s. the last time i was on a michy was the pro race 2 service something limited, right before the pro race 3 came out. they really do not change their tire much. pro race 4 is same casing with new rubber that last longer and has a different profile. the one that has the 150tpi casing is the pro race comp and that is not available yet - i think.

4000s is not the best tire, but it is the best all around tire. does everything well and is more puncture proof than most. i can get 3000 miles on my rear with zero flats - i can get 600 miles out of my rear veloflex. i never got close to 2000 miles on any michy, plus i never felt that the michy was better than the 4000s in any area; unlike the veloflex which feels better but the difference is not huge, subtle though noticeable. the conti is so hard to beat, maybe that is why they keep increasing its price year after year.

michy makes great motorcycle tires and conti makes bad motorcycles tires, go figure.

My experience is that Conti 4000s is a very solid tyre. I run it in winter(UK) and they are decently quick and pretty puncture proof. Not the nicest rolling though in comparison to the Pro3(havent tried Pro4 yet), but the Michelins cut up more.

Well, agreed, the shape thing comes and goes with the wind. But the Pro4 range does have a new casing on 2 of them, and new rubber on all 4. Replaces the Krylion at the bottom end as well, AFAIK. See the press kit.

http://www.michelin.com/corporate/EN/ne ... all-fronts

Whilst it's easy to be cynical about marketing I refuse to believe that tire companies just sit around all year scratching their bums and then re-release the exact same tire with new colours and branding. It's a competitive industry and they are all pushing to go faster, stickier, more puncture resistant and more durable. Perhaps you should go back to pre-Black Chilli Contis, 2011?

Yes, used the pro4 for about 1k kms. Have switched back to the pro3 for winter training duties atm.

Had a large side wall cut on the front pro4 after putting about with about 750km on it. About 10mm long which brought with it an immediate flat / blow out. Its a concern as have had no such issues with pro3 - perhaps just bad luck - it was a country lane with chip/seal & no obvious debris.

Switching between the two, the pro3 seems ime to roll slower & turn into corners a little less surely. I am using the pro3 for at least 10k kms previously (obv' across a few sets) & am comparing its ride quality against a pro3 on a 24mm rim bed width fwiw. Also fwiw running pro4 at around 5.5bar/75kg rider.

Used conti's for years and years including the chilli version. Several failures on sidewalls & dead feeling / lack of feedback would not have me eager to go back, really don't like how they handle in the wet.

Without wanting to hijack the thread, are many people using Schwalbe Ultremos? They certainly look the part, and their marketing is as good as the next companies...! I'm a long time fan of GP4000's but am getting a bit bored with them and fancy a change. Will I be back to GP4000's before I know it.?

Thanks for all the replies.
I'm a long time tubular guy, but have a pair of clinchers on the way.
My brief usage of clinchers, I found the following:
Conti 4000S - solid, no flats, but they felt slippery to me.
Vittoria Open Corsa - best riding hands down, but punctured a few times with them.
Schwalbe Ultremos - Seemed to ride nice, didn't puncture, but the quality control on them seems lacking. The tire looks like it is wobbling because none of the coloring on the tire is straight, and it seems that many have posted online about having the tire casing balloon out?

So I figured I'd give the Pro4's a try, and ordered a set from PBK (about $45 each). Haven't arrived yet, and am wondering if I should have just gone with the 4000S's.....

Like the others here I can compare GP4000S to the Pro3. Here are the pro's and con's as I see them -

GP4000S - Great grip in the wet, reasonable puncture resistance. I puncture about once every 2,000 miles riding South of London (lots of flint washed into the road when it rains). The drawbacks are that they feel rough and unforgiving and that the sidewalls aren't very durable.

Pro3 - Great grip in the wet (probably better than the Conti's) and mediocre puncture resistance but they feel much better than the Conti's. The problem is that using them here in winter destroys them quickly (very soft rubber compound), they're fine in the dry though. I have some Pro4's on the way which I plan on racing our winter crits on so will report back if this thread is still visable by the weekend.

I train on GP4000S and race on Pro3's (or in very good weather Vittoria's which have awful puncture resistance and equally awful wet weather grip but ride beautifully in good conditions). I'm perfectly happy racing Pro3's through the winter crit series so while they're a little delicate they're not that bad (it's Kent/Surrey country lanes that destroy them).

Without doubt the way to go is

Winter - Conti 4000s. More durable and puncture resistant especially on wet roads.

Summer - Michelin Pro. Nicer road feel. Closest to tubular i've tried.

I'm riding a pair now. Seem nice and supple, similar to Pro3's. Def nicer than GP4000s, but again more a summer tyre I think.

The Ultremos are great if you're only racing on them. Not a great allround tyre, wear faster than the Conti but I like the feel of them more.

im with you... i would also like to try something else. the reason for this is i like the ride of the veloflex, but do not like the low mileage or sub par puncture resistance. the gp4000s address the puncture resistance and the milage, but are not as supple. the michy pro race 4 use the same casing as pro race 3 but have a new tire compound for longer life and a new shape. the game changer (all new tire) is the pro race 4 COMP which also upgrades the casing to 150tpi. these will have same shape and compound of the pro 4 race, which they say have higher mileage than the pro 3 race, but now have a new lighter higher 150 tpi casing.

my question is why doesn't conti make a hi tpi tire with the black chilli compound? that would be killer. or even michy, is 150tpi all they can do? it is an improvement over their previous tire. i would definitely give the pro4 comp's a try, but they aren't out yet.

German Tour magazine tested some tyres in their September 2011 issue. The Michelin Pro4 Race Comp had approximately the same rolling resistance (40,9 Watts) as the Conti GP 4Season (40,4 Watts), which is a bomb proof winter tyre. The best tyre in the test was Conti GP Attack/Force (31,3 Watts).

I have had Michelin's , i found them not that flash . The wear was incredibly fast and one short sharp braking and I was on fabric . Not great in the wet .
I have now gone back to Conti's

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